Future history

Today, the sun blazed away in the sky, just like any other day. It tried to burn me, to coax sweat from my body, and to get me to surrender from the outdoors to within, but I defied.

^{I assert my rights to be identified as the copyright holder of this image. Captured August 14, 2025 by @holoz0r}

For today, not only did I leave the house, but I left the house with the entire goal of achieving progress toward completing creative goals. First, I must explain some further details.

I am a practicing Artist. I have featured in several exhibitions in the local area, and at the last opening I attended, more people than I knew by name, knew me by name. This does not bring with it riches, gifts, or sustenance.

It brings me confusion, a sense of humility, and recently, and increasingly, a sense of recognition. It also brings me demands.

For a moment, back to the sun.

Eight minutes.

That is how long it takes for light to move from the closest star to our planet. To our little, ancient Earth, and I reflected, today, as I wandered (completely aimlessly) and wondered (less aimlessly) through my town's historical district in search of interesting compositions to photograph. I didn't use a map.

I followed the architecture and the crumbling roadways, the growing pot holes, and the neglected footpaths.

^{I assert my rights to be identified as the copyright holder of this image. Captured August 14, 2025 by @holoz0r}

Why historical buildings? Because I have been asked to produce some work for a history symposium in October. That work should be finished some time this weekend, and it will be my intent to publish it here, too.

There is one thing that struck me as I wandered the streets. These buildings were constructed in a time before my own existence, and at a time when artisans and craftsman did high quality, honest work, and built things that genuinely outlasted their flesh. Did they know it would outlast them?

As a creator, I can only hope that a fragment, a single drop of my essence will outlive me.

Those buildings have stood for about a hundred years, perhaps, if not, more. The walls, and fences too. And all this time, the sun has been trying to extinguish them. Wind has been trying to erode them. Ground has been shifting below them. Water has been falling on top of them.

^{I assert my rights to be identified as the copyright holder of this image. Captured August 14, 2025 by @holoz0r}

Yet, they still stand. There is a great irony in that the signage placed to signify their importance will likely succumb to the destructive hands of time before the structures themselves become dust.

Back to the work. I took some photographs. I will feed them into a script that will see the representations of the structures decay in a digital manner. Colour shifts, jpeg artefacts, artificial digital age.

Attendees to the symposium will scan a QR code, witness a piece of history digitally crumble in their hand, on their smartphone's screen.

And one day, too; the images and video I produce will vanish, along with the explanation of their purpose. I am looking forward to seeing (or hearing about) their reactions.

On that day, and on every other day, for as long as we can call them days, history and heritage will slowly crumble. But we mustn't forget. Today is tomorrow's history. We must preserve today in order to have future history.